September 3, 2024
“The present state of ignorance about distant and former cultures is not unique to this time. Unfortunately, though, the people of our time are not employing their superior resources to retrieve and develop the remnants of wider knowledge possessed elsewhere and also at other times.
This is because, while the tools and the general freedom are there for the first time, desire, resolution and breadth of vision are absent, also for the first time. The endowment is therefore at risk. For the first time.”
– Idries Shah, Reflections
Idries Shah first published these words in 1968. Since that time – as we outline in the introduction to a new section of ISHK’s Human Journey website – our ability to retrieve, understand, store and communicate this “wider knowledge” has become instantaneous and potentially ubiquitous.
Further along in the same invaluable pocket-sized book, Shah refers to us drowning in information through an inability to handle it. More than half a century since he wrote those words, it is sadly too easy to see this. As we pointed out in GOD 4.0, thanks to new findings in psychology and neuroscience, in genetics, in paleontology, and the many post-war discoveries of ancient religious texts, a more comprehensive understanding of our human nature and its potential is available and offers opportunities vital to our future. But our leaders and the media select, simplify, slant and repeat information for their short-term goals. As a consequence, our cultures remain ignorant of the way our brains work, the way we receive and process information, how our mental and nervous systems evolved and created our current crises. They do not ask what other capacities might be inherent in our nature to help us rise above our narrow-minded reactions, to choose the most appropriate mindset for a given situation. They do not emphasize that we are able to develop new capacities in ourselves and in our children that would help solve the many problems that besiege us.
In 2009 ISHK began to develop the Human Journey website, whose goal is to provide such essential information. With your help, we now have a comprehensive site that continues to grow and be updated. The content has been provided by so many of you, thank you. And it has recently been developed and beautifully re-designed by Pam Akison, who deserves a medal not only for her design ability, but for her most diligent and patient efforts.
Important new items we have added so far this year are:
- A new section on the vital role of Stories and Storytelling
- An overview of human nature highlighting Robert Ornstein’s work entitled Our Mind in the Modern World
- A report on an important book The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, by Jonathan Haidt
- A report on a fascinating history End Times: Elites, Counter Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration, by the Russian-American author and complexity scientist Peter Turchin. It examines the complex interplay of socio-economic factors that, the author asserts, repeatedly throw societies into decay, crisis, and often violent collapse. We’re approaching a decline of that nature now in the US – but the right decisions could save us as they have in the past.
We have also updated and revised articles in the Health and Education in the Modern World section and the Sustainable Planet section.
We hope you’ll enjoy reading these new additions and please do let your friends and family know about the site if you think they might be interested.
Our plans for the future
It’s time for us to create a new team to take ISHK’s programs into the future. To that purpose, we welcome Sian Griffiths as ISHK’s Managing Editor. Sian comes to us from a varied background in publishing, working on all aspects of production across multiple genres and formats, including novels, illustrated stories and educational materials. She also brings experience in administration, communications, and marketing and research. In addition, Sian is familiar with the works of Idries Shah and Robert Ornstein, which makes her ideal to assist us in all aspects of the Human Journey, CE@Home, and in the creation and publication of future Malor books… of that, more later.
We are also very pleased that John Zada, who currently handles the Human Journey social media and blogs, has agreed to become our SEO Manager, a crucial position that ensures the website will attain maximum exposure. And we welcome marine biologist Archie O’Shaughnessy, who will join Stephen Matthews in creating and maintaining the Sustainable Planet section of the Human Journey. Our hope is to find more young people to join the team and help us in areas in which they are interested and qualified.
With this new team, we will be able to do a lot more with the Human Journey website and with Malor books. In line with Bob’s wishes that an up-to-date understanding of our human nature and its potential be integrated into the educational system, we plan to update and add to our All About Me series, creating physical and online books, animations, and audios on each topic in multiple languages. These will be published through the exciting new HoopoeShare website, reaching young people all over the world.
We also plan to reprint smaller Malor editions of Bob’s work, updating the science where necessary, and including passages of unpublished material that he left and that are timely.
We’ve been able to maintain these valuable programs and envisage continuing on thanks to Dr. Charlie Swencionis, Rob Mancinelli, and others who run our CE@Home program; to the generous support of the Will J. Reid Foundation; and to all ISHK’s volunteers, contributors and officials – most particularly to Mel Raff who jumped in to help when needed five years ago and continues to hold the administrative and financial fort.
Thank you all.
We welcome your continued support as we bring in new young people and develop our plans into the future. Please help if you can.
With very best wishes
from all of us at ISHK,
Sally Mallam
